• About This Project
• Installation
  • Online vs Offline Installers
• Getting Started
  • Post-Installation Steps
  • Reviewing Output
    • Accessible Output Window
    • History Buffers
    • Output Navigation Functions
  • Errors
  • Auto Login
  • Automatic Logging
• Updates
  • Checking for Updates
  • Automatic Updates
  • Update Channels
  • Switching Channels
  • Troubleshooting
• Configuration
  • Configuration Options Reference
  • Alternate Sounds
  • Sound Themes
    • Creating a Theme
• Commands Reference
• Keyboard Shortcuts
• What's New in Miriani-Next
• Why Move Away from VIP Mud?
• Design Philosophy
• AI-Generated Content (AIGC)
• Contributions
• Sound Attribution
• Support
• License

Miriani-Next is a MUSHclient client package specifically designed for Miriani. It provides audio feedback and modern conveniences for Miriani gameplay. Miriani-Next runs on Windows and is easy to set up.

Miriani-Next is a successor to the excellent work done by Erick Rosso on Toastush. With the advent of agentic coding tools, work is currently underway to migrate popular features from the VIP Mud soundpack to MUSHclient, making them more performant and maintainable.

Remember that this client package is rapidly evolving and problems may occur. We'll do our best to address these as quickly as possible. Please have patience as we grow! (And do consider contributing if you have relevant skills.)

If you're confused about anything, join metafrequency channel 7.07 in-game and someone will help you out.

1. Download the Next Launcher from the releases page
2. Run miriani.exe
3. The launcher will guide you through initial installation and updates

The launcher handles everything automatically - installation, updates, channel selection (stable/dev), and migration from older versions. It will install Miriani-Next to your Documents folder by default. Connections use SSL/TLS on port 1443 by default.

MUSHclient and the bundled DLLs are 32-bit (x86). Use the x86 Visual C++ runtime on Windows x86, x64, and ARM64; Windows runs the x86 application through its compatibility support on x64 and emulation on ARM64.

Proxiani Users: The launcher automatically detects Proxiani and updates world files accordingly. If you're using Proxiani, make sure it's running before launching Miriani-Next -- the proxy already handles TLS on its end. See the Proxiani GitHub page for Proxiani setup.

There are two versions of the installer available:

• miriani.exe (Online Installer): A small download that fetches the latest files from the internet during installation. This is the recommended choice for most users, and is housed in a separate repository.
• miriani-x.y.z.exe (Offline Installer): A larger download that contains everything needed to install without an internet connection. Use this if you have unreliable internet or need to install on a computer without network access. You can find these on the miriani-Next releases page.

Both installers work the same way - the only difference is whether files are downloaded during installation or already included.

If you're transitioning from the original Toastush client package, you should use the latest installer. The installer contains a migration tool, which will prompt you to move Toastush settings and state files. Ensure you have MUSHclient closed first before doing this.

Miriani-Next contains numerous configuration options that Toastush doesn't. In addition, the configuration system has been completely redesigned from the ground up. As a result, all settings from old Toastush installations may not fully transfer. Optimistically, you should expect at least some loss of configuration fidelity when migrating. Realistically it may not work at all. Very little time has been dedicated to testing this extensively, since reconfiguring the client package is a relatively painless process.

A setup wizard runs automatically on first launch, walking you through auto-login, socials, themes, volume, ambiance, screen reader settings, keybindings, and updates. Run it again anytime with setup or next:wizard.

Beyond that, no configuration is needed -- just change what you want via conf. We assume safe defaults for everyone.

Required: Type INFO after your first login. Miriani-Next needs to detect your organization and courier company to play the correct sounds for those channels. Just type INFO once after connecting - it reads your organization from the output and saves it automatically. If you skip this, organization and courier channel sounds won't work.

There are multiple ways to review game output:

A read-only text field containing up to 500,000 lines of complete game output. Use this when you need to review everything that happened - all messages in chronological order.

• Press Tab to switch to the output window, Tab again to return to input
• First time you press Tab, you'll be prompted to enable this behavior (or enable via conf general tab)
• When Tab switching is enabled, autocomplete moves to Ctrl+Space
• Ctrl+F to search within the output
• Start typing to automatically return to input

You can set the output window to launch automatically under World Preferences > Output. The line limit is also adjustable there.

Categorized message buffers that let you review specific types of messages without leaving the input area. Messages are automatically sorted by type (communication, combat, private messages, flight control, etc.).

• Alt+Left/Right - Switch between buffers (e.g., from "Communication" to "Combat")
• Alt+Up/Down - Navigate through messages in the current buffer
• Alt+1-0 - Jump to the 1st-10th most recent message
• Alt+Q / Alt+Shift+Q - Cycle forward/backward through your "quick buffers" (favorites)

Configure which buffers are enabled under conf buffers. By default, useful buffers like Communication, Combat, and Private comms are enabled.

Keyboard shortcuts for quickly reading recent output without leaving input or switching windows:

• Ctrl+1-0 - Read the last 1-10 lines (double-press to copy, triple-press to paste)
• Ctrl+Shift+U/O - Move to previous/next line
• Ctrl+Shift+Y/N - Jump to top/bottom of output
• Ctrl+Shift+H - Read the currently focused line
• Ctrl+Shift+Space - Begin selecting lines (press again to copy)

These are useful for quick checks ("what just happened?") without fully switching context.

When to use which: The output window gives you everything in one place - useful for reading back many pages or searching. History buffers let you quickly check specific channels (e.g., "what did flight control say?") without wading through combat spam. Output functions are for quick glances at recent lines. Use all three as needed.

There's no separate error window in MUSHclient. Errors initially appear as a dialog, but are also logged to the accessible output window. A checkbox in the error dialog lets you suppress future popups. Debug messages for developers also appear in the output window.

Typically, the Miriani Soundpack for VIP Mud will use your VIP Mud character name and password for its auto login system.

Unfortunately, while MUSHclient has an auto login system, it's impossible to retrieve your provided credentials. For the client package to work properly upon logging in, we need to tell Miriani that Miriani-Next is in use, and this must occur before we send your username and password. This ensures Miriani will send environmental information when you first connect.

To navigate this complexity, Miriani-Next has its own login system, which you can configure under conf auto_login (or conf auto for short).

Miriani-Next includes an automatic logging system that handles everything for you. Logs are automatically rotated daily at midnight and organized in a structured directory:

logs/<world>/<year>/<month>/<day> <Month> <year>.txt

Log Management Commands (use the lg command):

• lg view - Opens today's log in your default text editor
• lg view <days> - Opens the log from N days ago (e.g., lg view 3 for 3 days ago)
• lg find <text> - Searches all logs for specific text with paginated, interactive results
• lg stats - Shows statistics (total files, size, lines, date range)
• lg toggle - Enables or disables logging
• lg help - Shows available commands

The search feature (lg find) scans all logs and presents results in an interactive menu where you can select a match to open that log file at the relevant line.

Miriani-Next includes a built-in update system that keeps your client package current with the latest features and fixes.

There are several ways to check for and install updates:

• Press Ctrl+U while in MUSHclient to check for and install updates. This is a shortcut for the update command.
• Type update check to see if updates are available without installing them

When updates are found, you'll be prompted to install them. Some updates may require MUSHclient to restart - you'll be notified if this is needed.

Miriani-Next can update automatically based on your preferences in conf updates:

• Automatically apply updates quietly at login: Updates install silently when you connect to the game
• Automatically apply updates while idle: Updates install when you're idle
• Play a sound for pending updates: Get an audio alert when updates are ready (only for stable releases)

Updates come from one of two channels:

• Stable: Tested releases that have been verified by alpha testers. This is the default and recommended for most players.
• Dev: The latest development code with new features and fixes. Updates come more frequently but may occasionally have issues.

Additionally, more channels may be made available as needed--these take the form of new branches in this repository.

You can switch channels at any time without losing your settings. You will not, however, be able to switch to another channel if that would downgrade your version.

The easiest way to switch channels is using the batch files in your Miriani-Next folder:

• Switch to Stable.bat - Switch to the stable channel for tested releases
• Switch to Dev.bat - Switch to the dev channel for the latest features
• Switch to Any Channel.bat - Opens an interactive menu to choose your channel

You can also switch channels from within the client by typing update switch for an interactive menu, or update switch stable or update switch dev to switch directly.

If you encounter problems updating from within MUSHclient, you can run the updater directly:

1. Close MUSHclient completely
2. Navigate to your Miriani-Next folder (usually in Documents\Miriani-Next)
3. Double-click update.exe to run the updater outside of MUSHclient

This is particularly helpful for users running MUSHclient in a virtual machine that shares folders with the host computer, as permission issues can sometimes prevent inline updates from completing properly. For a full list of update commands, see the Commands Reference section.

If MUSHclient won't start at all and you're getting errors like 0xc000007b, 0xc0000135, 0xc0000142, a missing MSVCP140.dll or VCRUNTIME140.dll, or a side-by-side configuration error, you're probably missing the Visual C++ Redistributable. Install the x86 Visual C++ Redistributable -- it needs to be x86 even on x64 or ARM64 Windows since MUSHclient is 32-bit. If you've installed the runtime and still get 0xc000007b, update Miriani-Next to replace any bundled runtime DLL built for the wrong architecture.

Miriani-Next uses an interactive, menu-based configuration system. Access it by typing conf or pressing F1.

Configuration Command Syntax:

• conf - Opens the main configuration menu showing all categories
• conf <category> - Jumps directly to a category (e.g., conf ship, conf buffers)
• conf <category> <option> - Directly edits a specific option (e.g., conf ship secondary for secondary lock sounds)

Main Configuration Categories:

• general - General Options (roundtime, escape behavior, DND mode, wake on red, foreground sounds)
• auto login - Auto Login credentials and settings (shortcut: conf auto)
• updates - Update Options (automatic updates, changelog, idle updates, sound, restart behavior)
• ship - Starship Options (scan formatting, drive frequency, artifact hunting mode, repair notifications)
• room - Room and Environment (ambiance, digsite detector, praelor counter)
• helpers - Helpers and Extras (archaeology helper, counters, point calculations)
• gags - Gags and Substitutions (spam reduction, communication shortening, camera feeds)
• socials - Social Sounds (master toggle and subcategories for different social types)
• scan formats - Configure Scan Templates (customizable output for different object types)
• buffers - Output Buffers (25+ toggle options for communication channels)
• audio groups - Toggle Sound Categories (dynamic list of discovered sound groups)
• sound variants - Sound Variants (select alternate versions of specific sounds)
• themes - Sound Themes (browse and toggle installed themes)
• text tones - Text Tones (choose distinct private communicator and say sounds for individual players)
• mutes - Muted Sounds (mute individual sounds by browsing the sound directory)
• colors - Color Customization (14 color picker options for UI elements)
• screen reader - Screen Reader Integration (interrupt settings for different events)
• developer - Developer Options (debug mode, sound buffer, hooks buffer)

Config Storage:

All configuration is stored in MUSHclient plugin state, saved automatically under worlds\plugins\state\ and bound to the world file.

Security Note: Auto login credentials are included in the saved config if enabled. Keep your Miriani-Next folder secure on shared machines.

Client Configuration:

Miriani-Next is not responsible for MUSHclient configuration (connection info, fonts, window settings). These are managed by MUSHclient and exist in:

• Global prefs: mushclient_prefs.sqlite, mushclient.ini
• World file: worlds\Miriani.MCL

General Options (conf general)

• Play beep sound on keep-alive messages: Plays a beep when the server sends keepalive messages (the periodic "pings" to keep your connection alive). Most users leave this off.
• Play theme music at startup: Plays a random theme song when MUSHclient starts.
• Play a sound when roundtime is up: Plays a sound when your roundtime expires (after actions that prevent immediate movement/combat). Know when you can act again without checking prompts.
• Use Escape key to send @abort command: Pressing Escape sends the @abort command to cancel ongoing actions. If disabled, Escape only clears your command input or closes dialogs.
• Remove trailing spaces from commands before sending: "sc art " becomes "sc art" before it hits the game.
• Commands to bypass Proxiani (comma-separated, e.g. 'atsm,pc'): These commands get sent with a "px pass" prefix automatically when Proxiani is detected, so they go straight to the game server.
• Text editor for local editing (MCP): Editor used for MCP local edit (building, programming). Defaults to notepad.exe.
• Use Tab to activate output window instead of tab completion: Changes Tab key behavior - when enabled, Tab switches to the output window instead of doing tab completion. Screen reader users benefit from frequent scrollback access.
• Alt+Space shows exits instead of current history item: When enabled, Alt+Space displays room exits. When disabled, it reads the current history buffer message instead.
• Do Not Disturb mode (stops all sounds and TTS): Do Not Disturb mode silences all sounds and TTS output. Stay quiet while remaining connected.
• Disable DND mode on red, blue, purple, or orange alerts: Automatically turns off DND when your ship goes to alert. Combat sounds break through even in quiet mode.
• Restrict sounds to only when window has focus: Sounds only play when MUSHclient has focus. Prevents sounds from playing while you're working in other applications.
• Link Recipients (Auction Service, combat mission notification service, etc) bypass foreground sounds: Link recipient messages (Auction Service, combat mission notifications, etc.) ignore the foreground sounds setting and always play. Never miss important announcements.
• Play direction sounds when following or being dragged: Plays directional audio cues when you're following someone or being dragged. Track movement direction without reading every line.
• Sync random sounds using time-based seed (everyone hears the same sounds): Everyone hears the same random variant at the same time. A novelty -- you probably don't want this on.

Auto Login (conf auto_login)

• Enable automatic login when connecting to the game: Automatically sends your username and password when connecting to the game. The client package's login system ensures Miriani receives proper initialization before credentials are sent.
• Username for auto login (use underscores for spaces): Your character name. Use underscores (_) instead of spaces (e.g., John_Smith for "John Smith").
• Password for auto login: Your password. Stored in per-world config - keep your Miriani-Next folder secure on shared machines.

Update Options (conf updates)

• Automatically open changelog after updates: Opens the changelog in a notepad window automatically after updates are applied. Know what changed without manually checking.
• Automatically apply updates quietly at login: The launcher will check for and install updates silently when you log in, without prompting. If disabled, you'll be notified but need to manually confirm updates.
• Automatically apply updates while idle: Allows the launcher to apply updates while you're idle in-game. Updates won't interrupt active gameplay.
• Play a sound for pending updates: Plays an alert sound when updates are available. Alerts you to pending updates without watching console output.
• For quiet updates that need a client restart: notify you on return, or restart automatically: When a quiet update needs a restart, choose between "notify" (tell you next time you focus the window) or "auto" (restart the client automatically).

Starship Options (conf ship)

• Print formatted single-line scan output instead of raw multi-line output: Reformats scan output into single lines using customizable templates (see Scan Templates below). Makes scans much easier to read and parse, especially with screen readers. Compare raw multi-line output vs. formatted: "The Artemis (Interceptor) is 523 units away, at 12, 15, 7."
• Format coordinates as space-separated (3 3 3 instead of 3, 3, 3): Spaces instead of commas in coordinates. On by default.
• Relativity drive frequency: Audio frequency for the relativity drive sound effect (default: 44100 Hz). Adjust if the sound is too high/low pitched for your preference.
• Play a different sound for unfocus locks: Plays a different sound for secondary (unfocused) weapons locks versus primary locks. Distinguish which weapons system is targeting.
• Vary hit sound volume based on Praelor ship class: Smaller ships = quieter hits. Off by default.
• Notify when repairs complete while outside engineering: Get notified when repairs finish even if you're not in engineering. Press Ctrl+E to check the timer.
• Artifact Hunting Mode (gag engine sounds when not actively piloting or gunning): Gags engine sounds (acceleration, deceleration, subwarp, slip, wavewarp, bias drive) after a period of inactivity. Moving, targeting, firing, or going to red alert resets the timer. Type hush to silence engines immediately without waiting.
• Autosilence engines when window loses focus in Artifact Hunting Mode: Silences engines when you tab away from MUSHclient while artifact hunting.
• Print a message when the airlock chime sound plays: Show or hide the airlock chime text (the sound still plays either way).
• Print 'unchanged' before coordinates if the target has not moved since its last scan: Adds "unchanged" before coordinates if the target hasn't moved since last scan. Track whether targets are stationary or moving.

Room and Environment (conf room)

• Play background ambiances: Ambient sounds based on your location (space station hum, planet atmosphere, etc.). Three modes: "Off", "Focused" (default -- plays only when MUSHclient has focus), or "Always" (keeps playing when the window is in the background).
• Print the number of insectoids detected in a room: Displays the total number of insectoids (praelor) detected in the current room. Quickly assess threat level.
• Play a sound when detecting a digsite: Plays an alert sound when you enter a room with an archaeology digsite. Locate dig sites while exploring.
• Play a sound when detecting stores: Plays an alert sound when entering rooms with stores. Find shops while exploring unfamiliar stations.

Helpers and Extras (conf helpers)

• Buried artifact depth tracker: Tracks the depth of buried artifacts during archaeology digs. Displays depth automatically as you dig so you know when you're close.
• Calculate direction from scanner instead of showing coordinates: Converts directional scanner coordinates into compass directions (north, southwest, etc.) instead of showing raw X/Y/Z values. Easier to navigate with.
• Display counter values when activities are completed: Announces counter values when activities complete (e.g., "5 artifacts found today"). Shows your progress at a glance.
• Reset activity counters at startup: Resets all activity counters (artifacts, missions, debris, etc.) when the client package loads. Leave disabled if you want cumulative long-term tracking.
• Show sector numbers instead of names in flight control messages: Flight control messages show sector numbers (Sector 15) instead of sector names (Sol Sector). Better if you memorize sectors by number.
• Show point difference calculations when using your portable point unit: When checking your portable point unit, displays the difference in points since last check ("+5 combat points"). Tracks point gains easily.
• Print remaining cannon shots (use WEAPON command in weapon room to initialize): Displays remaining cannon ammunition after each shot. Use the WEAPON command in a weapon room first to initialize the counter.

Screen Reader Integration (conf screen reader)

• Interrupt speech for public address (PA) messages: Public address announcements interrupt screen reader speech immediately. Never miss important station-wide announcements.
• Interrupt speech when detecting insectoid activity: Insectoid detection messages interrupt speech immediately. Critical for combat awareness - you'll hear praelor warnings right away.
• Interrupt speech for scan coordinates: Controls speech interruption for scan results. Options: "starships" (interrupt only for ship scans), "everything" (interrupt for all scans), "off" (never interrupt).
• Interrupt speech when following: Movement messages interrupt speech when following someone or being dragged. Know immediately when you're moving.

Gags and Substitutions (conf gags)

• Reduce spam by gagging flavored text: Gags repetitive "flavor text" messages that don't affect gameplay. Reduces clutter without hiding important information.
• Shorten repetitive computer announcements: "Scans reveal the debris to be X." becomes "Salvaged X.", repair estimates get simplified, locking onto empty space becomes "Nothing targeted." That kind of thing.
• Shorten communication by removing verbs (e.g. 'Player says' becomes 'Player:'): Strips verbs from communication. Also applies to buffer history.
• Gag holographic avatar names in computer announcements: Hides custom holographic avatar names from computer messages. Off by default, so you'll see them unless you turn this on.
• Gag external camera output: Hides external camera feed output. Reduce spam if you don't use cameras.
• Gag internal camera output: Hides internal camera (turret/droid) feed output.
• Gag friendly (non-praelor) sector combat messages: Gags combat messages for non-praelor enemies in space. Reduces spam during sector combat while keeping praelor alerts visible.
• Gag messages when others pilot in the room: Hides "Person inputs a series of commands into a navigation console" and similar. Separate from Artifact Hunting Mode.

Social Sounds (conf socials)

• Enable all social sounds (master toggle): Master toggle for all social sounds. When disabled, no social sounds will play regardless of category settings. Disable if you find social sounds distracting.
• Laughter (laugh, giggle, chuckle, etc): Sounds for laugh, giggle, chuckle, snicker, cackle, etc. The most common social category.
• Distress (cry, sob, moan, etc): Sounds for cry, sob, moan, whimper, sigh, etc. Emotional distress socials.
• Reflex (cough, sneeze, yawn, etc): Sounds for cough, sneeze, yawn, hiccup, gasp, etc. Involuntary bodily reactions.
• Bodily (fart, burp, belch, etc): Sounds for fart, burp, belch, etc. Crude humor socials (toggle if you prefer less silly sounds).
• Physical (punch, kick, clap, etc): Sounds for punch, kick, clap, snap, stomp, etc. Physical action socials.
• Reaction (approvals, disapprovals, confusion): Applaud, boggle, boo, clap, cower, golfclap, headdesk, headshake, hi5, mock, oic, oicic, ponder, twitch, worship, etc.
• Novelty (animals, musical, memes, etc): Sounds